Suspicious Barn Fire at a NCC Owned Property this Morning.

The 5 alarm barn fire occurred at approximately 4:30 am this morning on the 5th Concession of South Walsingham.  The fire department did not have a key to the gate and had to waste time to remove it before being able to get to the scene. The very large, well built barn had flames that could be seen for miles around.

The barn had recently had a new roof and updated electrical system less than a year ago.  Luckily the rain and quick action from the Fire Department contained the blaze and prevented it from spreading to the adjacent abandoned home, another barn, weed field and forest.  Heavy equipment was needed to help bring the blaze under control and is still smoldering this afternoon.

It's said that the St Williams Nursery had been using the property to store seed in the barn and had recently just removed over $150,000 worth of grass seed from the facility.  Other than a few pieces of miscellaneous equipment the barn was mostly empty.

There is growing animosity between local residents and The Nature Conservancy of Canada.  With NCC's clandestine farm purchasing strategy and with the gating and fencing of all of their properties, it vows to continue.  The Nature Conservancy of Canada has purchased many farms in Norfolk County within the last few years. NCC is paying a very high premium to obtain the former farms.

The cause of the fire is not known at this time.